When I first started Fantasy Book Critic, one of my goals was to explore the growing relationship between SF/Fantasy literature and other media formats such as film, television, comic books/graphic novels, videogames, etc. Personally, I see a future where speculative fiction books are marketed not just as novels, but as an entire experience with tie-in videogames, animation, comics, even music albums. And with more and more writers of varying mediums branching out to explore their options in different media formats, I think that future is closer than ever. At the forefront of this movement, whether they know it or not, are two authors I have a lot of respect for: Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden. If you follow Fantasy Book Critic any, then you’ve seen my reviews of Tim Lebbon’sDusk/Dawn duology and the first two volumes in Christopher Golden’s Veil trilogy: The Myth Hunters and The Borderkind. What you may not know is that both Tim & Christopher are much more than just novelists, with their work encompassing the film industry, comic books and much more. And, because I learned that Tim & Christopher are working together on a project, not to mention being such good friends, I thought it’d be cool to interview the two of them at the same time. Thankfully, they were more than happy to oblige and I really appreciate both Tim and Christopher for their time and effort in seeing this interview happen. So read on to learn more about Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden, the many, many projects that they’re working on including their collaborative effort, and much more…

Q: First off, can you just introduce your selves, and tell us a little bit about your background?

Christopher Golden: I'm the American one. Heh. Born and raised in the Boston area. After college I worked briefly in licensing for Billboard magazine. I sold my first book, a non-fiction book of essays about horror movies, by horror writers, in around 1990. It was published in 1992 and, later that same year, I sold my first two novels to Berkley books, promptly quit my job and moved home to Massachusetts. I've been a full time writer for fifteen years. The first novel was called OF SAINTS AND SHADOWS. Since then, I've written quite a few others, including horror, fantasy, and mystery, as well as comic books, non-fiction books, video games, and animation scripts.

Tim Lebbon: I'm the one who prefers good beer. I was born in London, lived in Devon for a bit then finished my schooling in South Wales. I could tell you what my day job used to be but even the mention of it sends me to ZzzzzzzzZzzzzzzz. Whoops, sorry. Right. 2007 is my tenth year as a published writer, and my first as a full-time writer. I've had novels, novellas and collections published, and several of my stories are under option on both sides of the Atlantic. Which is nice.

Now, I just want to focus some on your most recent books, which were both released on March 27 (talk about synchronicity).

Christopher: Mine was THE BORDERKIND, Tim’s was DAWN. As for synchronicity, that seems to be a part of our friendship. The first volume of THE VEIL...THE MYTH HUNTERS...was (also) published the same day as Tim's novel DUSK.

Q: Tim, “Dawn” completes the story that was first started in “Dusk” and is your first attempt at a fully realized fantasy world. In the duology you utilize a lot of familiar fantasy tropes (characters, plot devices, etc.), yet at the same time, throughout the books you make an effort at breaking down such barriers. What were you hoping to accomplish with “Dusk/Dawn” as a fantasy, and how do you feel about fantasy tropes in general?

Tim: To be completely honest, I don't read much straight fantasy. I've read a bit of Gemmell, Erikson and a few others, but not much more. Dragons don't interest me much (even though I’m Welsh). So my fantasy novels were always going to be informed with an interest in weird creatures, strange places and monsters. Lots of monsters. And a lot of what I put into those two books (and the third set in the same world, FALLEN, to which I typed 'The End' today!) is a reflection of our world. So there's drug addiction, whores, drinking, reliance on superstition and nastiness. Some fantasy fans didn't like that, especially the swearing, but I wanted it to be a gritty, honest story. I also loved the opportunity to make up my own societies, religions and creatures. Why write about elves and faeries when other people have done it? So I have sentient tumbleweed, drug mines, terrifying creatures living in the drug seams, huge hawks that live and die above cloud level (usually), and lots of other craziness.

Q: On a related note, how different was it writing a fantasy opposed to your other material?

Tim: Well, there are the obvious differences, in that I don't have a contemporary world against which to set my story. So as well as telling a story, I was creating a whole new world. I loved every minute of it, and that's why I'll continue writing in this new world of Noreela for as long as people will continue publishing and reading what I write. That's also why the books are twice as long as anything I've written before!

Q: You mentioned earlier that you’ve had novels published for ten years, but 2007 is your first year as a full-time writer. What helped you decide that now was the best time to go into writing full-time?

Tim: It mainly comes down to money. If I could have done it five years ago I would have, but things have been getting better year by year, and really this is the first year when I felt safe to take the plunge. After having a day job for eighteen years it's a bit worrying, but it's also very exciting too. And I'd be lying if I didn't say it was a dream come true. I've also had a rough couple of years with various things going on, and there was a bit of 'you only live once' involved in the decision as well.

Q: Chris, “The Borderkind” is the second volume in your Veil trilogy and deals a lot with mythology and folklore, which seems to influence much of your other works. What is it about folklore & mythology that fascinates you so much?

Chris: It's just always been a large part of my frame of reference. I had a passion as a child for mythology and for monster movies (among many other things). My favourite folklore combines the two. When I look back on it, I realize that even my first novel, OF SAINTS AND SHADOWS, was about deconstructing and then rebuilding certain legends and folktales. Those elements run through most of my work to greater and lesser degrees. PROWLERS dealt with creating new werewolf myths. STRAIGHT ON 'TIL MORNING created a new Peter Pan myth. STRANGEWOOD dealt with mythmaking in children's fiction. THE FERRYMAN dealt with the Greek legend of Charon, the ferryman of the river Styx, and with myths about the afterlife. THE VEIL is all about myth. I've touched on it in so many places but, really, folklore and mythology is all about storytelling.

Q: How far along are you with the concluding volume to the Veil trilogy, when can we expect it, and is there anything you can reveal about the story?

Chris: THE LOST ONES is finished, though I'm revising it now. I suspect it'll be out sometime in the first quarter of 2008. As to the story, all I can say without giving much away is that more secrets are revealed, destinies are challenged, and the Two Kingdoms are at war.

Q: The trilogy format is one that you don’t normally use. What do you feel are the positives/negatives of writing in this format?

Chris: I don't know that I'll do it on this scale again any time soon. It's a huge undertaking. But I've always enjoyed painting on a large canvas. In past books that have been series, I've always made sure to have real endings for each book, real conclusions. With THE VEIL, because of the three-act construction of the story--the way a real trilogy is meant to be built--the first two books have serious cliffhangers. That's part of the pleasure. Most people would think it a negative to have a book be published when you haven't finished writing the second installment, never mind even begun to write the third. It would be very easy to screw it up that way, to take wrong turns and then not have the ability to go back and fix them. It's writing without a net, really. But I relished it, honestly. Writing myself into a corner means that the audience can't predict the outcome. If I don't know how it's all going to work out, it's awfully hard for the reader to know. I also loved writing on a canvas as large as a trilogy allows. But it is exhausting. As I said, don't expect to see something else of this scale any time soon.

Let’s talk about future projects:

Q: The two of you are collaborating on a project titled “Mind the Gap: Hidden Cities #1”, which is due out sometime in 2008 via Bantam Spectra, with a second volume to follow in 2009. Can you tell us how this collaboration first came about, what kind of books we can expect with “Hidden Cities”, and how the actual writing is being accomplished between the two of you?

Chris: That's not entirely accurate. The title of the book is MIND THE GAP. Somewhere, perhaps on the front matter inside the book, it will say something like "A Novel of The Hidden Cities." MIND THE GAP is a contemporary dark fantasy set in--and beneath--London and having to do with murder and ghosts and paranoia. More than that, it's much too early to say. The Hidden Cities is NOT a series, really. The books are linked only thematically, but that thematic link will be significant. The second book is tentatively titled THE MAP OF MOMENTS and...assuming Tim doesn't mind me giving this away...it will be set in New Orleans.

Tim and I first met at a Stoker weekend in New York City and got on very well right away. MIND THE GAP was an idea I'd been wanting to pursue for a while, though originally it was quite different. Tim and I were both publishing with Bantam and I had a great deal of respect for his talent, so I asked if he'd like to work on this idea together. It was actually our editor at Bantam, Anne Groell, who asked if there was a series in it. At first we didn't think there was, since this story is self contained, but the more we talked about it, we started to realize that there *was*, but it would be a very unorthodox sort of series. Now that it's begun, I can't tell you how fascinating it is to see the idea grow.

Tim: I was delighted when Chris asked me to collaborate. We've been good friends ever since we met in New York, so for me the prospect of collaborating was an exciting one ... as well as a bit nerve-wracking. Luckily we've found that we work extremely well together, and the writing process is steaming ahead very nicely indeed. We tend to write a chapter or two each at a time, then we have long chats on the phone about where the story's gone and where it needs to go. We're following an outline, but already the writing has taken over to an extent, and we're deviating here and there and coming up with new ideas. And yes, the idea of it being a series is thrilling. Every big city has hidden stories, and Chris and I are going to find them.

Q: Chris, you have a collaboration coming out this summer with Mike Mignola of Hellboy fame titled “Baltimore Or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire”. What kind of story are we talking about here and what format (novel, graphic novel, etc.) will it be in?

Chris: BALTIMORE is an illustrated novel--it's prose, with 150 illustrations by Mike. As for the story itself, it concerns a young soldier named Henry Baltimore (soon to be Lord Baltimore) and his encounter with a vampiric creature amidst the carnage of a war torn battle field, and what becomes of both soldier and monster as a result of that fateful meeting. It's hugely influenced by gothic literature--including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Monk, and even things like Northanger Abbey--and in some ways by Moby Dick. It is full of folklore, both in the way it's told and in the actual folktales we invented for the story as part of the adventures of Baltimore and his allies. And it's about storytelling in a very fundamental way. Much of the book is told by three men sitting around a table in a pub, telling the tales they know of Baltimore's life, and some of it is told in epistolary fashion, through letters and journals.

Q: You’ve also collaborated with Thomas E. Sniegoski (the Outcast books, which has been optioned for a movie, the Menagerie series, various comic books, etc.), actress/writer/director Amber Benson, Rick Hautala (Body of Evidence series) and Nancy Holder (Buffy the Vampie Slayer novels) among others. What is it about teaming up with other writers/creators that you find so appealing? Are there any other collaborations you’re involved in that you can talk about? What about specific writers/creators that you would be interested in working with?

Chris: Isn't that enough? I always say that writing is a solitary occupation and I'm not a solitary person. I enjoy the creative process that's involved when two writers are brainstorming together, and then working together. There's an immediacy to your audience, then, because instead of writing for the readers who buy the book, you're writing for your collaborator and you get instant feedback. The collaborations on the immediate horizon are these books with Tim and two novellas with James A. Moore (finishing the trilogy of novellas we began with BLOODSTAINED OZ). There are a couple of other writers I've discussed doing collaborative novellas with in the future, but I couldn't even think about starting on anything like that until next year.

Q: Tim, according to your website, you’re already working on a novel that will return readers to the world of Noreela with a standalone prequel called “Fallen”. You also have a novella coming out in “The Bajuman” (Necessary Press 2007) as well as the novel “The Island” (2009) that are both set in Noreela. Was it always your intention to return to Noreela after the conclusion of “Dusk/Dawn” and what do you feel are the positives/negatives about revisiting this world? Also, can you give us some more info about the novella and novels?

Tim: Well, Noreela is a whole new world. New civilisations, politics, religions, superstitions, peoples, creatures, landscapes, places....It's inevitable that it's a world full of tales to tell, just like our own, and as I was writing DUSK and DAWN I became very excited about this world I'd created. So yes, I'm contracted for two new novels with Bantam, both of which will be stand-alone, linked only by being set in Noreela. FALLEN, which as I mentioned I've just finished in first draft, is set 4,000 years before DUSK and DAWN. It's about two explorers competing to find one of the last great discoveries. And THE ISLAND is set about 450 years before DUSK when there's still magic in the land. I've also written the novellas 'The Bajuman' and 'Vale of Blood Roses', both of which will appear soon from Subterranean Press, and the short stories 'Forever' and 'Chanting The Violet Dog Down'. And there's lots more where that came from!

Q: What about continuing the story from the end of “Dusk/Dawn”? The ending definitely leaves room for future exploration.

Tim: Never say never, but I have no plans as yet. I think it ends. But then I always like involving readers and inviting them to use their imaginations.

Q: Tim, you also have a movie novelization coming out this fall for the horror film 30 Days Of Night. As a fan of the comic book, first off, how is the film, and how different is it writing an adaptation rather than an original story?

Tim: It's going to be a fantastic movie, but other than that I'm not allowed to say too much. And writing an adaptation is, of course, a very different process, as the story is set out there for me to follow. That's not to say I didn't expand and add bits of my own, because I did. I found it to be more fun than I'd expected, actually, and hopefully I'll do more in the future.

Q: Both of you have projects that are being developed for film, “White” and “Until She Sleeps” for Tim Lebbon, “Outcast” and “Talent” for Christopher Golden, just to name a few. How does it feel to see your works being adapted into potential movies, and how much input do you have with these various projects (the ones that I’ve mentioned and any I haven’t)?

Chris: Every case is different. With OUTCAST, my writing partner Tom Sniegoski and I have a certain amount of input because our managers are also producers on the film. We also have an excellent relationship with the executive who is producing at Universal, who brought both OUTCAST and TALENT into the studio. But we won't be writing on either of those films. On TALENT, we will be producers, but our roles will be fairly minimal, I think. We have a third film project that hasn't been announced yet, so I can't discuss the property, the title, or even the studio that's making it, but there is a director attached and a writer, and Tom and I are Executive Producing. We've been working on it for years, going through every step with the company and with the Producers, and despite the time involved, that has been a fantastic experience all along because every single person involved in the project is intelligent, creative, and dedicated. I suspect that film is the one closest to getting made, but you never know where these things are going to lead. Beyond that, an independent production company has just optioned another collaborative property of mine, but no announcements have been made yet. Other projects are pending, but as someone once said (maybe it was me), "nothing is anything until it's something." Nowhere is that more true than in Hollywood.

Tim: Like Chris says, every case is slightly different. When my novella ‘In Perpetuity’ was optioned I co-wrote the adaptation with the director attached to the movie. That was a useful experience, and though things are now moving very slowly I’m still hopeful it might see the light of day. UNTIL SHE SLEEPS has been under option for three or four years now, and I’ve had no input at all. That’s just the way it was set up and I’m fine with that. That one also now seems to be chugging along nicely. When Simon Clark and I had EXORCISING ANGELS optioned we wrote a brief treatment, but the producer went somewhere else for the screenplay. FACE and THE NATURE OF BALANCE were both optioned by the same LA scriptwriter, and he’s been keeping me in touch with all developments. Stephen Susco optioned WHITE several years ago, and late last year it was announced that he’d write and direct for Rogue Pictures. That’s going along very nicely indeed, and Stephen is keeping me informed of progress in great detail. It’s very exciting, and his vision for the movie is wonderful. I’d love to adapt more of my own work – and write original screenplays – and I’m making inroads into that right now. But it all takes time!

Q: Can you guys share any info on other projects that are coming out or that you’re working on?

Chris: I'm finishing up three stories for a new five-author anthology called FIVE STROKES TO MIDNIGHT. The other authors in that are Tom Piccirilli, Gary Braunbeck, Deborah Leblanc, and Hank Schwaeble. I did a story called "The Mournful Cry of Owls" for an anthology called MANY BLOODY RETURNS, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. Sometime in the not too distant future, my first ever short story collection will be published. But more on that another day. In the young adult arena, I've just finished a stand alone supernatural thriller called POISON INK for Delacorte and I'm about to start a very nasty teen horror novel for MTV Books called SOULLESS. Finally, I've just completed a new deal with Bantam for my next two adult novels. I'm not going to give titles or anything just yet--they're too far off--but I'm very pleased to be continuing my relationship with Bantam. My editor there (and Tim's), Anne Groell, is the best in the biz.

Tim: I too have another short story collection coming out soon, a great big fat 150,000 word volume. Publisher hasn’t announced yet, though, so I can’t share too much information! Later this year, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT will appear from Pocket Books. Early next year will see the publication of FALLEN and MIND THE GAP, and a year later there’ll be THE ISLAND and THE MAP OF MOMENTS. All these are with Bantam…and like Chris, I’m delighted to be working with them, and long may it continue. Subterranean Press are publishing a two-novella collection, both also set in my fantasy world of Noreela. A WHISPER OF SOUTHERN LIGHTS is the third book in the Assassin Series from Necessary Evil Press, that’ll be out soon. I may be collaborating on a role playing game with a well-respected fantasy author, but I can’t say too much about that just yet. I have an idea for a young adult horror/science fiction series which I’m working on, two more novellas with PS Publishing, a collaborative novel with Pete Crowther, and I’m also working with a producer on a screen version of my novel THE EVERLASTING.

Q: Based on the discussions above, it’s apparent that the two of you have really branched out as writers, not just with different genres, but also with varying mediums (comic books, film/TV, videogames, etc.). In this day and age where cross-pollination between formats is practically becoming the norm, how important is it do you feel, to be able to write in different mediums in order to become and stay successful as a writer as opposed to being dedicated in just one area (books, comics, film, etc.)?

Chris: For a working writer--someone who hasn't gotten rich from the gig, but does it full time as their day job--it's certainly helpful to be versatile. But for me, it's never been about anything but pursuing things that I'm passionate about. All of these things are things that genuinely interest me. Mignola once compared me to the great pulp writers of an earlier age because, according to him, those guys could write about anything (and often did). I took it as the highest compliment.

Tim: I love writing. I’ve enjoyed writing novels, novellas and short stories for a long time. Recently I tried some screenwriting and enjoyed it just as much, so I’m pursuing more of that right now. It’s largely a matter of what I like doing, but of course, if it pays as well that’s an added bonus. I’m writing full-time now so I have to think about the business side of things too, so I see branching out as good sense.

As for writing in different genres, that’s purely down to what I enjoy and am passionate about.

Q: What have you learned as writers from your experience in these varying formats? Is there anything else that you would like to improve upon as writers?

Chris: Every format is a different discipline. Being good at one doesn't automatically make you good at the others. I've found I'm less skilled in some areas than others--but if you think I'm going to tell you which ones, you'd be wrong. Heh. As for improvement--any writer who doesn't think their work has room for improvement, and who doesn't work toward that goal, is probably a pretty crappy writer.

Tim: For me, writing is a constant learning process. I try to improve with every book I write. Sometimes I think I achieve that, sometimes not. Writing for a living does change the emphasis a little, naturally, but I still view writing as an art as well as a business. I’d love to have a go at comic writing, though I’m not sure how good I’d be at it. And as I’ve said above, I’m doing some more screenplays, and that’s a real thrill for me.

Q: Chris, you live in Massachusetts, Tim you’re based out of the UK. What are your thoughts on the speculative fiction book scene from your respective viewpoints?

Chris: The older I get, the more I find that on any list of my favourite genre writers, at least half of them are Brits. Tim, Jim Moore, and I have edited an upcoming anthology of dark fiction by British writers called--funnily enough--BRITISH INVASION. We're not supposed to give any further details just yet, but it will be out this year. There are tons of American writers whose work I enjoy, obviously, and with the exception of Ken Bruen, all of my favourite mystery writers are American. But with fantasy, the closest I come is Charles de Lint (an absolute master), who is Canadian. On a list of my favourite fantasy writers, a tiny number are American. The rest are British, Canadian, or Australian. Horror is more evenly balanced. And then there's Joe Lansdale, who's in a class by himself in all of those genres.

Tim: That’s the age-old question, and the old answer is that it goes through cycles. I’m a UK writer who’s still not seeing his books published in the UK. I’m hoping that’ll change, naturally, but there are no guarantees. I hear constant pronouncements that ‘the green shoots of recovery’ have been spotted in the UK’s horror scene, but I’ve been hearing that for a long time and they’re bloody slow growing. I do remain positive, however, and that’s mainly because I know there’s such an appetite for horror in this country…and all it’ll take is one brave publisher with some spare cash for promotion etc to see that.

Q: You’re both very prolific writers with extensive bibliographies. How have you managed to stay so productive? Do you ever deal with writer’s block and what helps you to get through it?

Chris: Writer's block is a myth perpetuated by "tortured artists" and people who can afford to procrastinate. There are days when it is very difficult to write--days when I'll manage only 1500 words or so. But I stay at the desk and keep at it, and unless my family needs me or I have somewhere I've got to be, I'll go back after dinner and keep at it until I've done at least a few more pages, so I can go away from desk feeling like I didn't just waste the whole day. Sit down, shut up, and do the work.

Tim: Staying productive is a case of sitting down and writing. It sounds obvious, but that’s it. If you want to write a novel in three months you have to aim for 4,000 words per day, which allows rewrite time and all those hours and days where other stuff pops up. I get bad days where I don’t feel like working so much, or when a particular scene or project is giving me problems, and if that happens I try to write through it. If I can’t, I move onto another project. I think it was Isaac Asimov who said he had several books on the go at any one time, so if he was having trouble with one he’d move onto another. At the moment I’m doing rewrites and edits on two novels and a novella, working on the first draft of another novel, planning a new novel, making notes for a young adult science fiction/horror novel I’m desperate to write, as well as notes and treatments for at least two screenplays. And that’s the way I love to work. Part of it is necessity – I need to make a living from this now, and writing one novel per year just can’t do that for me – but mostly it’s because I love being so busy.

Q: Let’s fantasize for a bit. Of all the material that you’ve produced, what would be your dream adaptation?

Chris: I'd want to write a script based on my novel STRANGEWOOD and have it directed by Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles). Yes, I know he's an animation director, but I think he'd be perfect.

Tim: I’d have to go for the most unlikely out of everything I’ve written – DUSK and DAWN. They’re big scale fantasy epics and I suspect the budgets would be pretty damn sobering, but they’re very, very visual books in my mind, even now a couple of years after I wrote them. The whole new landscape and world I created in these books feels very alive to me, as do the character, and I would love to see them hit the big screen. As for actors and actresses, I haven’t really thought that far. Director? I love what Zack Snyder did with 300, and I’m also one of those who loved his DAWN OF THE DEAD remake. I think he’d definitely do these books justice.

Q: What are some of the things that you’re currently reading?

Chris: I've recently finished reading an advance copy of Thomas E. Sniegoski'sBILLY HOOTEN: OWLBOY, which is the first book in a new children's series Tom is doing, with illustrations by Eric Powell (creator of The Goon). I think OWLBOY is going to be huge. It's funny as hell, weirder than you can imagine, and more fun than anything else I've read in a very, very long time. Before that I read THE GUARDS by Ken Bruen, which was a blast.

Tim: I’ve just finished THE TERROR by Dan Simmons, which I thought was brilliant. Simmons continues to stun me with the breadth of his abilities. I’m halfway through HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill and enjoying that one. Have about 1,000 books I want to read, but there’s only so much time…

Q: Are there any writers that you’d to plug?

Chris: I could list a hundred. The first two that come to mind are Mark Morris and Sarah Pinborough. Mark has been at it for longer than I have and Sarah's fairly new to the writing gig, but both of them are fantastic and have some really wonderful work coming up (not to mention great stuff that's already out there). Sarah's new novel THE TAKEN starts quietly, then becomes uniquely twisted and she's working on a novella I've read the beginning of that is really excellent and quite a departure for her. Mark's got a new post-apocalyptic horror novel coming up soon called THE DELUGE, but also writes dark suspense. Find his NOWHERE NEAR AN ANGEL if you can. For mysteries, I can't recommend Don Winslow enough. He's already successful, but as far as I'm concerned, not nearly successful enough.

Tim: There’s a writer in the UK called Paul Meloy, who writes nowhere near enough. What he has produced is pretty stunning, and he’s having a collection published soon by TTA Press in the UK. Really, he’s going to be the British Ligotti. You won’t find much writing from Paul, but what you do find is fantastic.

Q: Do you have any last thoughts or comments that you’d like to share with your readers?

Chris: I'd just like to thank everyone who's ever bought a book with my name on it. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll come back. It's what we all work for.